Human body communication is a communication technology in which a signal is coupled directly onto a human body through a transmission electrode; it is transmitted over the body to its destination. The signal may be delivered to an external device via a body member contacting a receiving pad on the device. Human body communication transmission electrodes and receiving electrodes typically touch the skin or are in close proximity to the skin. There may be no interference between human body communication transmissions on one person's body and those on another person's body, even if the bodies are located in close proximity. Thus, applications for human body communication include use as a general purpose body area network communications technology or as an extension of near field communication technology.
Data may be transferred to and from human body communication devices as users share documents or files. In some cases, an unauthorized user may have access to data stored on the human body communication device.